Lessons From Apollo 11

moonshot

Fifty years ago man first set foot on the moon. This achievement was considered impossible by some and represented a giant leap forward in technology. When John F. Kennedy first announced the goal of reaching the moon, it was unknown if we would be able to do it. Like many challenges that business faces, it was a learning experience and a teaching moment. There are lessons from putting man on the moon that we can all apply.

  • Have A Clear Goal: Everyone involved with knew what the goal was. Put a man on the moon and bring him back successfully. As complicated as the project was, the goal was able to be summed up in that one sentence. Make your goal simple enough so that everyone understands it.
  • Persistence: There were numerous setbacks during the Apollo program. Equipment failed and men died. Designs were changed repeatedly to try to overcome difficulties as they arose. No matter what happened, the men and women involved in the project persisted until they achieved their goal.
  • Ask For Help: NASA realized early on they could not do the moonshot on their own. They brought in Lockheed Martin, Boeing, and Northrop Grumman. They needed help and asked for it. Without the work done by these companies, NASA would never have been able to complete their task by 1969.
  • Improvise: What the people of the Apollo program were doing had never been done before. There was no blueprint as to how to go to the moon. They had to improvise. This became even more important during the Apollo 13 mission when they had to improvise life saving equipment from what was on the capsule. Don’t be afraid to improvise.

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